Letters to the Editor, April 25 - 27

(1 of )Governor's high-speed rail plan is an economic runaway train.

EDITOR: In regard to Thomas Elias’s article on Gov. Brown’s reputation and the car levies (“Raising Car Levies Won’t Tax Brown’s Reputation,” April 21), I would like to say that while the additional gas tax and vehicle registration fees may not infringe upon Brown’s reputation, the gigantic boondoggle of the Central Valley high speed rail project will not only dispense with any reputation – but totally throttle the state’s ability to see any repayment of such an outrageous and unnecessary project. A project of this type works perfect in Europe where you have millions of people in highly dense population centers. How can this be a viable and economically feasible project where these population centers don’t exist? Impossible.

Carson Watson

Sonoma

My heart and soul go out…

EDITOR: The Sonoma community recently experienced two tragic deaths. Two young men, both lives taken all too soon. Cody Cordellos, who suffered all his 32-year life from an extremely painful and debilitating disease, Epidermolysis Bullosa, and Brandon Barmore who died tragically while on a Seeds of Learning trip in Nicaragua. I, too, experienced the loss of my 33-year-old son from a tragic disease. I never met Brandon but did see Cody with his mother at an organic vegetable stand. I knew then he had a difficult life. He made the most of what he had and the community supported him with many fundraisers. Brandon, from the news information, seems to have led a wonderful teenage life. Both young men will be missed by many and my heart and soul go out to both families.

Sydney Rogers

Sonoma

Service above sieve

EDITOR: With all the fuss about the cost of local water bills rising, I want to weigh in on the service charge. The water in Sonoma is cheap. $3.94 a unit for Tier 1 usage, which I rarely exceed. However, the service charge of $19.79 is ridiculous. I figured out that in 2016 I paid more for service fees than I did for the water. I would gladly pay more for water, but how on earth does the city justify a $20 per month service charge? Time for a change in policy.

Charlotte Huggins

Sonoma

Debate is healthy, having SVH even healthier…

EDITOR: My husband and I have lived in Sonoma for nearly 37 years, and for most of that time the community has debated the merits of having a hospital in town. Each time residents are asked to help fund hospital operations or capital improvements, we discuss whether we need an emergency room, whether the economics work in a small community, whether the hospital is being effectively managed, and whether we can meet the challenges of limited reimbursements, regulatory changes and legislative directives. Debate has been robust and occasionally, contentious.

And yet, the hospital survives and thrives, testament to the community’s underlying desire to provide comprehensive routine and emergency health care for all residents.

That’s not to say that the debate is without merit. None of our public institutions is perfect. We engage with our city, county and other government entities regularly, ensuring their actions mirror the priorities and desires of the community. Institutions that do not respond to that important input risk losing the support of the very residents they serve.

In my view, Sonoma Valley Hospital has done an amazing job over the years of meeting local needs while also responding to changes in the healthcare industry, shifting demographics and unending state and federal mandates. Each component of their current operations responds to a critical community need, not the least of which is the Emergency Room.

I believe our hospital is vital to maintaining a healthy, vibrant community, and I will happily support Measure E to ensure it remains so.